School News
Prep
What a fantastic and busy week it was in Prep! The students were engaged in a variety of fun and educational activities across all learning areas, and we’re excited to share some of the highlights with you.
Literacy – Making Connections in Reading & Recounts in Writing
In Reading, our Preps focused on making self-to-text connections. They learned how to relate what they read to their own experiences, which helped deepen their understanding and engagement with books. It was wonderful to see them share their personal connections during group discussions.
In Writing, the Preps continued to practise their recounts by focusing on including important details such as who was involved, what happened, and when it took place. They also began developing their ability to generate ideas, helping them build a growing bank of personal experiences to write about with confidence during their free choice writing.
Mathematics – Exploring Numbers with Games
In Maths, the students explored the concepts of one more and two more. Using hands-on materials and interactive games like bingo and snap, they built strong number sense in a playful and engaging way. These games were a big hit in the classroom!
RUCCIS Circus Skills
The students thoroughly enjoyed their time with RUCCIS, where they learned a range of exciting circus skills. From bean bag juggling to plate twirling and hula hooping, they developed coordination, balance, and perseverance – all with big smiles on their faces!
Excursion Highlight – The Melbourne Zoo
To end the week, we had an unforgettable excursion to the Melbourne Zoo! There were gasps of excitement as we saw all kinds of cute, interesting, and amazing animals. From monkeys to meerkats, the day was full of wonder and discovery. A huge thank you to all the helpers who made the day run so smoothly – we truly went bananas over the fun!
Kindest regards,
The Prep Team
Laina Brebner, Kayla Hartrick and Emma Wright
Grade 1
What a superb two weeks we’ve had in Grade 1!
In Reading and Writing, we started learning about procedural texts. A highlight for students was giving their teacher instructions to draw a snowman. Students quickly learnt that their instructions needed to be short, clear and detailed. Students then practised giving each other directions to draw flowers, dogs, rabbits or houses.
In Maths, we changed Maths partners and began looking at addition. Students used number lines and pipe clean sliders, and then dominos, to practise the strategy of counting on, beginning with the larger number. Today, students created their ninja slider to bring home. The ninja slider is a great tool to help your child practise all the ways to make a certain number. Keep an eye out for the instruction sheet on how to effectively use the ninja slider.
During Investigations, students learnt about the 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – and ways that we can significantly reduce our impact on the environment. Ask your child to share with you some simple things you can do at home. Did you know that plastic bottles can be recycled to make clothes?
Outside the classroom, students have continued to love their Rucci’s sessions with Sam Sam Sam and enjoyed their first sport session with Lilydale High students.
Wishing all our families a wonderful weekend!
The Grade 1 Team
Tim Huntington, Mel Layton, Sally Newton and Ashleigh Wilson
Grade 2
Grade 2 News – A Fortnight Full of Fun and Learning!
What an exciting two weeks it has been in Grade 2! Our classrooms have been buzzingwith curiosity, creativity, and discovery as we've explored new topics and built on our learning across the curriculum.
Mad About Science Incursion – A Cool Experience! One of the biggest highlights was our Mad About Science incursion, where we were wowed by the wonders of liquid nitrogen! Students watched in amazement as everyday objects were frozen in seconds and shattered like glass. We also explored how gases can change and expand – even blowing up balloons with no breath at all! The hands-on science experiments left everyone feeling inspired and curious about the world of science. We loved being scientists for the afternoon!
Telling the Time
In Maths, we’ve been working hard on learning how to tell the time to the quarter hour. Using both digital and analogue clocks, students practised identifying quarter past and quarter to times. We played interactive games, used mini clocks, and even made connections to our own class timetable to reinforce our learning. Ask your child to tell you the time at home – they’ve become confident little timekeepers!
Reading and Writing – All About Procedures In Literacy, our focus has been on learning about the features of procedural texts. Students have read and written a variety of procedures, from "How to Make a Jam Sandwich" to "How to Brush Your Teeth". We’ve learned that a good procedure needs a title, materials or ingredients, clear steps in order, and action verbs. Students had a great time following real procedures in the classroom and writing their own – some of them were even acted out with hilarious results!
As always, we’re so proud of the effort and enthusiasm our Grade 2 learners bring to every task. We’re looking forward to more exciting learning in the weeks to come!
Warm regards,
The Grade 2 Team
Allie Harrison, Sarah Jones and Brendan Van Haaster
Grade 3 & 4
Good afternoon Level 3/4 Families
What a big week it was in 3/4. The ramp construction happening outside 3/4B and 3/4H was completed, Ruccis sessions occurred, we had district cross-country for those students who qualified, and today was National Walk to School Day. The students have continued to show wonderful behaviour and attitudes and complete lots of wonderful learning!
In Reading the 3/4 students continued their novel study on ‘The Fantastic Mr. Fox’ by Roald Dahl. We finished reading the text, and the students looked at ways authors engage their readers with exciting endings and learned how to write a critique of a text. Now that we have finished this book, we are looking forward to watching the movie and comparing the differences and similarities.
In Writing, the 3/4 students continued writing their narratives based on Roald Dahl’s ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox.’ We focussed on writing detailed setting descriptions, including an exciting ending and a providing character wrap up at the end. We are looking forward to completing and publishing these pieces .
In Maths the students began a new unit of learning, focusing on addition. We discussed efficient vs inefficient methods, and investigated various addition strategies including building to 10, 10s facts, doubles and near doubles. We are looking forward to continuing this topic and learning more addition strategies including the split strategy.
In Inquiry, the students learned about important symbols in Australian history. They completed their Term 2 Inquiry learning task by choosing an Australian symbol that interested them, researching it and explaining its significance through answering questions.
In our Wellbeing lessons, this week students explored the concepts of cyberbullying and keyboard cowards and were provided with help-seeking resources. We also explored ways to make friends and what is normal in a friendship.
Looking ahead to the end of this term, some key dates to remember are:
Friday May 30th – Hoop Time
Wednesday June 4th & Friday June 6th – Quantum Excursions
Monday June 9th – King’s Birthday Public Holiday
Wednesday June 11th – Curriculum Day
Thursday June 26th – School Production
The 3/4 Team
Damien Smith, Daena Hailey, Brent Smith, Claire Cripps and Nick Pagliaro
Grade 5 & 6
Hello Families!
We've had an exciting two weeks in Grade 5/6. The students have been working conscientiously towards their learning goals and performing well as the leaders of our school.
In Reading, we are nearing the conclusion of our mentor text, The Wild Robot. The students have been using a variety of comprehension strategies such as visualising, connecting, questioning and synthesising to demonstrate their understanding of this scintillating sci-fi story.
The students are enjoying writing their own science-fiction based narratives. We have been focusing on writing 'Endings with Impact.' The children are ensuring their endings have an action climax and emotional resolution, which will leave their readers wanting more!
In Maths, we have been learning more about a variety of addition strategies which help us to solve problems. We have been focusing on the Split and Jump method as well as a range of strategies to help us to estimate and solve problems mentally.
In Inquiry, the students have enjoyed researching a historical figure who has shaped the way we live in Australia today. They have used a variety of websites to cross-check information about their chosen 'notable' person. It is fantastic to observe them learn about people who have made positive contributions to the way we live today.
In Wellbeing, we continue to learn about our strengths, areas of challenge and where we can get support if we have a problem.
The girls represented the school wonderfully in the AFL Gala Day. They managed to reach the semi-finals and should be congratulated for their excellent behaviour.
Please enjoy a few photos showing our students in their element. We hope you all have a great weekend!
The 5/6 Team
Llinos Poole, Rachel Boyle, Alarna Creed, Hayley Peirce and Erin Rennick